A Cheap Yet Thoughtful Present
by Thorned Rose
Summary: Rating for some suggestive remarks. James' birthday approaches but his partner has no money to get him anything. One stupid idea from Meowth is enough to niggle at her, wondering if it's what he'd want to get... Rocketshippy One Shot


                                      A Cheap Yet Thoughtful Present       The Night Before… 

      "So Jess, whatcha gonna get fer Jim?" asked an extremely brazen Meowth whilst the youth in question was momentarily out of hearing range. The fiery redhead dropped her defensive façade temporarily; the annoying feline had correctly voiced her own anxieties, and this was one mess where her best friend couldn't help her in any way. Finally, she replied by saying:

      "I don't know Meowth, do you know what you can buy that's half-decent and doesn't cost money?"

      "Yes, actually"

      "Really? What is it, and do you think I'll get it before tomorrow?"

      "Well, you could get _it_ tomorrow…"

      "I'm not following you, it'll be too late then"

      "You'd give him what he really wants without any expense"

      "Huh? You're really confusing me now"

      "You're a girl, I think, and he's a guy. Put da two togetha and you get…"

      She ignored his derogatory comment as she struggled to get over him voicing her desires. How the hell does he have the right to think I'll do that with James? Did James say something to the scratch-cat about us? 

      "You'd better not be thinking about us having…you know…"

      "Sex? Why not, it's what you both want isn't it?"

      "I'm not listening to another word of this, you aren't plotting out our sex lives like this. What makes you think I'd want to do that with him of all people anyway?"

      "Because it's him more dan anyone else you want. I'm a pokémon, not stupid; I've seen da way you fawn all over him wheneva you get da chance"

      "I have not!"

      "Yes, you have, and if it makes matters any easier I know he does da same ova you"

      "Oh yeah? Sorry Meowth, but I'm not performing in your twisted play just so you can make a fool of us for your pleasure. You can forget this one, okay?"

      "It's your loss, especially if he goes after another goil whilst you keep this pretence up"

      "I'm not pretending anything"  
      "You're denying your own nature Jessie, and if you do it for long enough it's your heart dat's gonna be punished"

      "I told you already Meowth, you're making this whole situation up, so there's no reason to act like this anymore, okay? I'm not going to discuss this anymore"

      "You can act how you want, but I know you'd love to screw his brains out, and the only reason you're upset is because you know I'm right and you can't admit it"

      "THAT'S ENOUGH MEOWTH"

      "Can't I leave you two alone for three minutes without a row blazing across the camp?"  
      Jessie paled the instant she heard his voice and tried to escape his glance in case he'd heard what their argument had been based upon, inwardly hoping the matter would soon be forgotten by them all. She opened her mouth but instead of light comments to brush aside the real reason why they'd been fighting, her body betrayed her, leaving her with nothing other than a few choked back sounds as words escaped her. In spite of her being vulnerable for all sorts of sarcastic comments at her lack of articulacy, none arrived and for every second passing, the atmosphere was more pungent than ever for the teenage woman as reasons needed to be found. Meowth threw a cocky glance in her instant of supposed perpetual weakness before discharging a false reason for their minor disagreement, causing Jessie to release a heavily audible sigh of relief. James passed no comment on it and merely retired to his sleeping bag with only a general 'goodnight' to follow his actions. She gave Meowth a death-glare to reduce his Cheshire-esque grin (it probably would have worked if she didn't use it on him quite so often), and then he turned into the depths of the forest to do some late night hunting. She sat there for a few minutes whilst she considered what Meowth had suggested—not the sex, about James liking her in an overly friendly way. How much of their conversation did James hear, and did he like the cat's idea if he'd heard it? She got ready for bed, more conscience of the fact she was undressing in James' line of vision even though she didn't know whether or not his eyes were open. The familiar worry returned to her head as she closed her weary eyes—what could she get for his eighteenth birthday when she'd spent her small amount of money on food?

      The Birthday… 

By the time Jessie had awoken, James was already tidying away their belongings, yet it was the scent of a tantalising freshly cooked breakfast that succeeded in liberating her from sleep's strong grips. She rubbed her eyes to remove the hazy effect from her sclerotic layer, and it was only then she was hit with the cold realisation she hadn't woken up first and cooked for him like she'd intended when she was going asleep. It was supposed to be a part of her present for him since she couldn't afford anything, so she apologised to him in a subdued manner when she finished cursing herself.

      "What for?"

      "I couldn't get you anything for your birthday, and I feel like I've let you down by not having anything to offer you. I was going to cook you some breakfast but you beat me to it"  
      "It's okay Jess, I work with you and know how poor we are remember? Besides, maybe you did me a favour by not cooking, that is if I want to last twenty-four hours as eighteen"  
      "WHAT are you saying about my cooking?"

      "Nothing hon, forget I insulted your fine cuisine. Please accept my most humble apologies"

      "You'd damn well better be sorry"

      He returned to his work and Jessie only worked out what he'd called her at this point. She turned to judge what his face told her about his comment, but his back didn't reveal too many of his inner feelings, which was all of him she could see. Did Meowth mean it when he said James likes me? She decided to get his attention to read his expression, and if it seemed likely, she decided to pluck up enough courage to do something about it.

      "James?"

      "Yeah?"  
      "I'm really sorry about not getting you anything, I feel guiltier than you probably expect. How can I make it up to you?"  
      Jessie almost had to kick herself to stop colour from rising to her face as she heard herself coming onto James; her attempt to get him to look at her hadn't shown her any expressions to suggest he wanted her, but she'd tried a seductive tone anyway and he now looked at her with a smile that wasn't requited love, but was more along the lines of amusement.

      "Don't worry about it, and if you want to make it up to me you'll come out with me for a drink tonight. Will you?"

      "Um, if it's what you really want"

      She hated herself for making such a fool of herself, and now she knew that his request had been said in a platonic tone, whereas her reply had been nothing short of pathetic since it sounded she didn't want to do it. Now her mood was dripping slowly into a sombre one as she thought how ridiculous she must have seemed to him, subsequently he'd probably laugh at her response. But he didn't, he thanked her for agreeing to his offer with a charming smile and returned to his business without saying anything else to her, leaving her wondering where she stood with him. She didn't know if he'd asked her out merely out of sympathy, but it looked like their date would certainly be on a friends-only basis. Perhaps Meowth had been right (perish the thought), she'd waited too long for him to make the first move and he'd found someone else to fill her place, which was the reason why he'd ignored her attempts that morning. Her body willed her to cry but she denied it fiercely, not wanting to be caught in such a weak moment especially when her guard had been dropped a few minutes beforehand. She sensed Meowth move more than see him, and the look on her face gave him the knowledge that something hadn't gone right whilst he was in slumber. He mouthed to her a question regarding how she felt, to which she shook her head and told him not to bother her about it through giving him a mournful fleeting look. The cat knew it would look suspicious to get caught talking to her when he wasn't supposed to be awake yet, so he left Jessie with her breakfast as he shouted over to the youth.

      "Happy boithday Jim, feelin' old?"

      "About as old as you are funny"

      "Ah, so older than existence itself den?"

      "Exactly, though I do feel our luck's changed"

      "Something has anyway"

      "You feeling mature too Meowth? Sheesh, it'll be a lot of fun when Jess turns eighteen if this is what we're all going to be like"  
      "You said it Jimbo"

      It sickened her to see James acting more friendly to their partner in crime in spite of him being equally jovial with her, just not romantic, which was what she wanted today more than any other day. Her face was smiling but her eyes were not, so why hadn't James asked her to tell him what was wrong like he normally did when he saw she wasn't feeling right? Or was it he hadn't noticed or simply wanted to ignore what was wrong with her, feeling like she was just a lovesick teenager? That's all I am to him, if I think differently I'm only lying to myself. Once all their belongings were carefully stored away in the right compartments, they set off to locate the twerps and to endure another day of needless pain in the name of work.

      They stuck out easily in the dark forest with their vibrant outfits, with Togepi chirping a merry tune of its own name whilst Brock stared at his map where the corners were decorated with scantily clad women. If he hadn't stuck them there, he probably wouldn't misdirect them so often, but this way they met more people who'd readily feed them and give them uncontaminated medicine without question. Between salivating drools at the sight of the women on his page, Brock said:

      "We should reach Blackthorn Gym tomorrow, if we walk until nightfall and start as soon as the sun comes up, and providing there are no interruptions"  
      "Tomorrow? I can't wait that long, I want my badge **now**!"

      "Ash, can you give it a rest? I'm tired of hearing you saying that, we can't help the distance between gyms. If you wanted to get there sooner, you should have travelled with someone who has a car like Gary did when he first started out"

      "Grrrr that Gary, I'll show him who's the better trainer"

      "Ash, he beats you because you're too busy thinking about your hatred of the guy, and the more time you waste like that, the less skill you have as a pokémon trainer"

      "I'm going to be the worlds best pokémon trainer, and he'll always have to look up to me then" Ash began his victory laugh.

      "He's taller than you"  
      "Nobody asked for your opinion Misty so let me enjoy my private moment here, if you don't mind interrupting again that is"

      "Excuse me, dearest expert, I'll be here in reality whenever you want to return to your senses"

      "Ha, hahaha, ha—OOF!"

      Ash Ketchum's victory laugh was cut short as he walked into two people in business suits who had their hair tied back without their faces obstructed in any manner, and he didn't recognise them and began apologising profusely to the strangers. The man shrugged off his apology and replied that it was an accident, but before he could finish his sentence properly, Team Rocket's music started playing behind the three younger trainers. The woman shrieked out in an utterly aghast manner saying how villainous yet highly good looking the thieves were, and that she was afraid of being attacked by them again. The man clutched her against his body as he stammered out how a handsome young adult had stolen their pokémon earlier, and now they must be after the kids', causing Ash to step forth and demand to know where the thieves were hiding. Meowth shouted 'Now!' and the two strangers grabbed Pikachu and tore off into the distance, laughing evilly with glee as they did. They threw their suits into the air and were somehow wearing their uniform complete with gloves underneath it, or in James' case had pink rubber gloves on top of his black ones to absorb Pikachu's electrical attacks. Ash ran fool-hardily into the unknown territory without any consideration for his life or where he was, but then he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Pikachu resting against a tree, munching on an apple. Beside the yellow and brown rodent was a small piece of paper saying 'This was too easy, some other time.' There was a gap in the trees a few metres beyond Pikachu, and beyond that lay Blackthorn City.

      Jessie and James waited in the balloon for Meowth to catch up to them, knowing how disgusted he'd be when he discovered they'd abandoned the rat and given it a treat willingly the one time their plan worked. It had been Jessie's idea and although it was amazing it had turned out successfully, James admitted he didn't fancy going to Team Rocket Headquarters on his birthday, and Jessie had naturally conceded of his idea. He hadn't mentioned that morning once and she was now beginning to wonder about how he'd viewed her actions. Meowth was right, there definitely was something different about him yet it was hard to place what exactly was odd; he certainly seemed more mature but that couldn't just be because of his age, he was planning something: that much was certain. He always acted like this when something was about to go his way, did he have a girlfriend she didn't know about? Her heart stopped and resided in her mouth as they continued to talk genially in a trivial conversation, and she was suddenly very conscious of how close his hand was to her side, even though he wasn't touching her. She assumed it was just a coincidence, but then again he was very close to her and they had the whole of the balloon's basket to occupy. She'd often thought about him in this light, but her throat was suddenly very dry and her knees weak as she thought about them having a few minutes alone together. She was just about to have one last endeavour at coming onto him when Meowth crashed through the bushes angrily, destroying the moment as he angrily wondered why he'd passed the Pikachu being hugged gaily by its owner. James cast him a grin and replied that this way they didn't have to face a life-threatening explosion or Giovanni for at least twenty-four hours. The cat tried to calm his anger down a bit, but he couldn't and resorted to delivering Fury Swipes across the bishounen's face. He surprised them both yet again by laughing instead of snarling out a few curse-based sentences, as was the general tradition whenever the cat launched an attack. He suggested the cat should go hunt a meal to work off his agitation, and although Jessie missed it, Meowth heard the underlying tone that clearly meant for him to give them some time together and obligingly slunk off into the distance. The truth finally dawned on her and her heart began beating at twice its regular speed when he stood before her, with only an inch or so separating their bodies. He touched her face lightly and whispered something to her, even though it wasn't quite along the lines of what she wanted to hear, in spite of the words being able to be taken both platonically and not.

      "You're coming with me, I've got something to show you"

      She nodded and followed him as he left the balloon and headed towards the city in the distance, wondering whether or not he wanted her as more than just a friend—he'd thrown too many mixed signals in her direction for her hormones to work them out properly. He led her down the main street in the bustling city, perplexing her in the process as she didn't know what could be there worth dragging her a few miles away from where they were—it wasn't as if they were in need of added exercise on top of their daily actions. He finally stopped outside an automatic teller machine and inserted a card (she didn't even know he had a bank account, never mind a card). He pressed a few buttons before telling her to face the screen as opposed to the opposite side of the road as she had been doing. She blinked once to remove the initial shock when she saw the balance he'd called up, only barely registering he stood behind her with his hands resting on the ends of the metal in front of the screen. She turned around quickly to ask him a few questions regarding him being able to save thousands without either of them noticing, but the question remained unspoken as she became conscious of the fact she was tight against his body and that his hands had now moved to her waist. She was so much in shock by his embrace she was unable to speak or move, and all he said was:

      "I told you our luck was going to change today"

      She felt more like putty in his arms than she had all morning, and the feeling of his breath hitting her neck seemed to affect her in a most positive way. He moved forward slightly but what he intended to do nobody could tell but him; the queue behind him was complaining they hadn't moved on after their transaction. He turned his attention back to the screen and pressed a few more buttons before taking his card back as well as a collection of notes, most of which he inconspicuously slipped into her loose fist. It was only when they walked back down the way they'd come she noticed it in her hand, and her initial response was to ask him why he'd given her so much.

      "Just take it, you can buy yourself new clothes or something"

      "How come you're giving me money when it's _your_ birthday?"

      "It's a thank you for being here after all these years. I set up the account when I was ten and deliberately didn't spend any of it until now, as I knew I'd leave home at some point, probably without any cash. It's gained a lot of interest and I thought I'd tell you before Meowth finds out about it"

      "Thanks, but I still feel guilty taking it when I didn't get you anything"

      "Don't buy me anything okay? There's one thing you could do though, if you really want to give me something"

      "Name it and I'll do anything"

      "I'll ask you a favour at some point today and you'll have to do it, regardless of where you are, who you're with or what you have to do. Agreed?"

      "Agreed, though knowing you it won't be pleasant"

      "I might surprise you this time and be nice"

      "I somehow doubt it"

      "Me too!"

                                                                           **

      Needless to say, Meowth was not an altogether pleased pokémon when his tired friends returned to the balloon a couple of hours later, laden down with Jessie's myriad of shopping bags. She still wasn't certain of how strong James' feelings were towards her, and to what romantic extent they reached. Her mind kept wandering back towards the moment outside the bank, and her overactive hormones developed out many variations on what could have happened had the people behind them not disturbed them. He acted as he normally did; it didn't help her in the slightest as he persisted to do so; he could always have wanted her like she wanted him, or it could be the total opposite, (this was a thought she didn't like dwelling on as it disagreed with her inner hopes). She'd been so adamant at wishing to cook for him that she suggested she made them lunch, but whereas James amiably agreed, Meowth's face bore a look of sheer terror as he recalled her previous attempts at demonstrating her culinary skills. He begged with James to save them but all he received was a grin and he didn't want to cook on his birthday, leaving Jessie with an acceptance for her request. It didn't turn out quite as well as she intended; she'd been watching James for most of the time, triggering her fantasies to the result of their dinner being coated with a rich ebony outer casing. She was the source of amusement for a few hours after that, even though James had scraped off some of the burnt areas and said it had tasted perfectly all right beneath its crust and eaten his entire share.

      The Birthday Night… 

      Jessie walked through the forest with her arm interlinked with James' all the way to the city, using the uneven ground beneath them as incompatible with her heeled shoes as an excuse for her propinquity. She wore a cobalt silk shirt he'd insisted on her buying as it complimented her figure with a jet skirt that reached just above her knee; he wore a black polo neck jumper with intensely dark jeans, making him seem all the more irresistible to her that night. He at least had the sense to wear clothes that would keep some heat in them as he foresaw the night's impending chill, and as he didn't reveal this information to Jessie, he knew he'd have another reason to laugh at her expense without cruelty. He confused her further by persisting to allow her to lean against him when they reached the smooth, flat pavements of Blackthorn City; did it mean he liked her closeness or had he simply forgotten her excuse? They entered the nearest pub that sounded like the occupants were younger than forty years old (The Amorous Arbok) and they were nearly deafened by the music being blasted out from the many state-of-the-art speakers located around the lounge. Perfect. They chose an intimate booth in the corner of the building and James asked her what her poison of choice was to be, making fun of the fact that she wasn't old enough to order her own drink yet. She said to get her whatever he bought for himself, and he grinned as he ordered two car bombs to see how she'd handle a potent drink that would undoubtedly go straight to her head. He handed her a pint glass full of a dark liquid and a cup containing a much smaller amount of a thick beige fluid, causing her to look at them dubiously. She took the pint glass and was about to take a sip from the dark fluid when he explained she should tip the beige fluid in first and then it should be drunk as a shot. He gave her the smirk with which she was greatly familiar, it was the one he'd had since they were younger; he knew he could take alcohol in his stride and she couldn't, and this was a challenge to see who became drunk the fastest (she was the unbeaten champion in that sector.) He mixed his own drink and raised three fingers, dropping each one as a form of countdown for them to initiate their contest, and he drained the whole glass within seconds whereas she struggled to get through it, unfamiliar with the strength of it. When she finally put the glass on the table, she put her hand to her head momentarily as she asked him, over the very loud music:

      "What the hell was that?"

      "Car bomb"

      "What was in it?"  
      "Strong whiskey, Guinness and cream liqueur. What's wrong, can't take alcohol yet?"

      "Of course I can, I can feel it hit my head already that's all. How can you not react to it?"

      "Who said I couldn't feel it? I drank mine quicker than yours; I'm just not showing it like you are. What do you think?"  
      "It's better now I've swallowed it, but I'm not sure if I want another one yet. I'm sooooo going to feel this in the morning"

      "Jessie, that's only your first drink, you're not getting away with it this time"

      "Fine, but only because it's your birthday. Give me a few minutes first though"

      "Nope, what do you want now?"

      "Ugh, vodka and orange, I'm not trusting you to pick me out one again"

      "Play nicely or I'll give you a screaming orgasm"

      She looked after him as he headed for the bar, wishing she knew that wasn't the name of a cocktail, but then again he mightn't have been referring to that…wishful thinking, she told herself. He returned with two glasses of her desired drink, following the contest rules they had to drink the same amount of the same mixtures until the less drunk person became generous enough to stop their friend looking like too much of a fool. She had yet to beat him at her own game (she loathed herself at times for challenging him to it when they first went became firm friends.) She noticed he was smoking a cigarette marginally before he passed it to her—although neither of them had any great desire in smoking, it was still a treat to get a blast of nicotine to raise their spirits every now and again. He explained someone behind the counter had given it to him without elaborating further on the details of how it came into his possession. She noticed he was sitting right beside her even though there was nobody else in the booth, and she noticed he touched her more frequently than usual. The alcohol probably heightened her senses of this manner, and there was no mistaking his intentions as he touched her thigh whilst 'fixing a crease in his jeans.' She was still too much of a coward to react to his hints, if they even were that, so she relaxed back into general conversation with him as her head felt less like she was on a buzz from the alcohol. He knew she was coming down from her initial high again and he dared her to down five shots before he could, and she began dreading it as he left for the counter again. Her heart smashed into a thousand fragments as she saw him kissing the barmaid who'd undoubtedly given him the cigarette, and her drunken feeling was instantly obliterated. Why had he toyed with her all day just to crush her spirit here? The last place she felt like being in now was being in a crowded building filled with happy people, especially when he felt happy in the arms of someone else. James putting ten shot glasses on the table disrupted her hateful thoughts and he asked her how she felt, instantly knowing something was wrong with her and yet not sure what it was. She shot him a glare with instant regret flooding her head, as that action alone would certainly label her a lovesick teenager. She apologised without any trace of sincerity in her voice whilst he honestly didn't know what he'd done to irritate her—she'd been more than fine when he'd left her a few moments ago. He heard a nasty tone in her voice as she told him to pick up a glass, and before he'd even put the small tumbler to his lips, she swallowed all five of hers and told him to hurry up. He put his down without swallowing the drink and directly asked her what was wrong. She snarled out a response and threw his back far quicker than she'd taken shots before, ignoring the blood rush her head felt as a result of the alcohol infiltrating her brain cells.

      "Jess, What's wrong with you? I was joking when I said you aren't able to drink too much, you know?"

      "Shut up, you can't have it both ways you know"

      "What can't I have? I really don't know what you're on about tonight"

      "You wanted me to come drinking with you and I did, won't anything make you happy?"

      "Have I offended you in any way? You seemed okay to me a few minutes ago, did someone say something when I got the drinks?"

      "You we—never mind, just forget this okay?"

      "Do you want to leave here? I know something's wrong, and if you won't tell me there's no need for you to stay here like this if you feel upset"

      "I said forget it"

      "I'm not going to forget it. Either tell me what's wrong or try get over what happened. If I've hurt you then I swear I didn't mean to"

      "Whatever"

      Their heated discussion was interrupted by a malicious laugh coupled with Cassidy saying a rude comment at Jessie's expression, evidently caused by her inability to contain alcohol. Jessie's disposition was enraged further by the taunt, and even though it was light to things she'd heard in the past, she shot up and went for the blonde with the force of a blazing inferno. Cassidy hadn't expected the physical attack but James had, and although he couldn't stop the vicious punch to Cassidy's face, he restrained her before she could initiate round two and before she'd gone into the complete light of the bar to completely humiliate herself. Cassidy nursed a bleeding lip and James asked her if she wanted a drink in compensation. When she agreed to his offer, feeling that she could manipulate James to get back at Jessie, she didn't expect him to say her drink was waiting in a muddy puddle, as it was the only drink he knew fit for a woman of her value. Jessie thanked him in spite of her body still being tense with anger before elbowing him in his stomach to get him off her, but he didn't lose his grip and sat her down again. She didn't see his eyes roaming over her body as she had his back to him, and he was sitting right beside her again, looking like he wanted to treat her as more than a friend. He tilted her head up towards his and asked her whether or not she was wearing anything underneath her shirt. She gave a short answer in response to his question, revealing she only had underwear on besides what he could see, feeling that he was finally willing to show some romantic interest towards her for once. He took his jumper off and told her to put it around her waist as he took her by the hand and led her out of the door, then altered it to having his arm behind her back as he realised she couldn't walk in a straight line. He stopped at the moonlit corner of the street and faced her, knowing she was unable to stay still for even a few moments and he'd need to explain something to her first. Unfortunately for her, he didn't tell her what exactly what she wanted to hear.

      "Thanks for helping me out James, I owe you one"

      "No problem, does this mean you owe me two favours now?"

      "I guess so, what are you going to do to utilise them?"

      "You'll have to wait, I have until 3:53 to use them. It's one advantage to being born at an improper time"

      "That leaves half an hour pretty much, you'd better make your move soon"

      "I will, don't worry. But first I have to tell you the reason why we left"

      "Yes?" This is it, she thought to herself

      "When you went for her you tore your skirt from the position you staggered backwards in, and I couldn't risk you exposing your derrière to the whole bar. I also thought it would be nice if we had some time to ourselves somewhere where we can hear our own voices"

      "Oh, thanks I guess. How bad is it?"

      "Not so bad, but I wasn't staring at that area for too long. You'd probably hit me if I did"

      "That's what you think"

      "Sorry?"

      "Uh, I meant that's what you thin; I've already hit someone tonight. Stand still, will you?"  
      "Jessie I'm not moving, is your vision okay?"

      "Really? I must be drunker than I thought. Where are we?"

      "We're just on the street where the pub is, do you want to head back or something? Maybe it'd be best if you lay down for a while"

      "What way did we come?"

      "I'll take you back to camp if you want, but be warned; the roots underfoot will probably make your walking even worse. Do you want to sober up a bit first?"

      "No, it's okay, just take me back"

      He laughed, not in a cruel manner, many times as she almost lost her footing in the forest, joking that he wouldn't even let her have a sip of watered down wine again if this was how she intended acting after anything alcoholic she'd drink. They were just under a mile away from their camp when her heel became embedded in mud and broke, sending her in a violent manner in the general direction of a giant sequoia in the area, but some good luck for her was that James acted as her cushion. He smashed his back against it and she felt glad in a strange sense that she'd catapulted forward and his face collided into her throat, leaving her cleavage to support his chin. Her head became less light by this and her heart seemed to act strangely as she thought about what position she was in. It was her turn to laugh as he winced at the pain from which he suffered and he asked her to get off him, obviously not pleased with her body weight added to his pain. Hurt flashed across her features just as she averted her look and she went to stand up properly when he grabbed her wrist lightly then told her to stay, and he eased her back onto his lap, both of them hearing another tear as she got comfortable on his thighs. There was a thin layer of tears lacing her eyes and he knew he'd hurt her when he'd told her to get off him for a second, even though he'd only meant for her to move as he dislodged a twig embedded in his back.

      "Does this count as one of the favours I owe you?"

      "If you want it to"

      "Good, there's one less embarrassment I have to suffer, and at least in ten minutes I'll be safe. James?"

      "Yeah?"

      "Just how bad is my skirt?"

      Without a word passing his lips, he moved her slightly so she straddled him properly and held her calves before running his hands slowly up her legs, causing her to twitch involuntarily as his touch was pleasing her greatly. He stopped when he reached her upper leg and saw the desire visible in her eyes, choosing to ignore it for the time being. He explained the split hadn't ended by this point, and then he continued just to see what her reaction was, and he was pleased that when he rested his fingers gently along the back of her thong she looked at him, screaming a request to him that her voice could not. He teased her further by prising it away from her body and ran his fingers along the moist material without touching her skin, feeling the heat emanating from her as he continued his small game of torture. As suddenly as he'd begun, he removed his hands and held her loosely around her waist, casually reminding her that she owed him a favour as she's agreed to it. She looked at his watch again and told him (in a very broken voice) he had five minutes to make his move, wondering where the time had gone—it had seemed like no time at all when he'd teased her, and she wished he'd do it again. He smiled and said he knew how long he had, plus he'd set an alarm for when the time was up to make sure he'd used it in time. He waited until three minutes were nearly over before easing her head towards his, then closed the gap between them and released all the passion he'd had pent up for years. She felt him deftly unbuttoning her silk shirt seeing their time together became more intense, feeling deprived as he pulled back when the alarm sounded. She began feeling self-conscious at her level of exposure when it seemed he was done with her, but she decided to exert some of her embarrassment and smacked him across the cheek.

      "What was that for?"  
      "That was for doing that for me and then sitting back. You've toyed with me and my feelings all day"

      "I have not"

      "Oh yeah? What about this morning at breakfast?"

      "In front of Meowth?"

      "In town?"

      "The queue"

      "At the pub then, you were touching me then you went off and kissed the floozy behind the bar"

      "She said she'd give us free drinks for the rest of the night as a birthday present if I let her so I did, but I told her the eighteenth one was reserved. Then when I came back to get it you were in a bad mood"

      "Could you blame me? I've thrown myself at you all day and you went for her"

      "I'm sorry, if I hurt you it really was unintentional. I can't make you believe me but I hope you do"

      "What about now then?"

      "What?"

      "You pulled away from me as soon as the time was up"

      "I thought you'd only want me to kiss you as long as the favour was in play, which it isn't now"

      "Idiot"

      She jumped at her final opportunity to show how she felt to him that day and he felt her trembling against his body as she proceeded with it, and then she pulled back and seductively whispered:

      "Is that a pen in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?"

      "Actually, it's a"

      "DIGLETT!"

      She laughed as the pokémon called out its name and then cursed him for having true thieves' luck before pressing her body against his in such a way that her lust was unmistakeable. When they woke up in the same place the next morning, they both knew there was no turning back, not that either of them wanted to, as this was one birthday neither would forget.


End file.
